Chapter 40

40

After staring at his stiffened face in shock, I spoke again.

"Are you going to abandon me?"

Just tell me clearly. That way, I can prepare and look into orphanages.

At the very least, I need to run away before you kick me out.

It would be such a waste of time to spend my fresh youth at the academy.

"Huh? What are you talking about!"

At my words, Desar Clowen’s face hardened even more. I could sense a faint sense of guilt in his expression.

"When did I say I was going to abandon you? I just said you should study at the academy..."

Desar Clowen stopped speaking, perhaps thinking that even he found his own words ridiculous.

"Let's just pretend you didn't say that. Nothing is decided yet."

"Even if you abandon me, I don't care!"

Please abandon me.

At my words, Desar Clowen froze in surprise.

I glanced at Sharant Clowen and gave him a look.

Hurry up and encourage him to abandon me.

I gave Sharant Clowen a hint, but he just looked down at me silently without saying a word.

I stretched out my arms and waved them.

Why is he just standing there!

"I'm fine!"

I shouted again.

I even put extra effort into my voice, worried that it might not be heard properly due to my small stature.

‘If you find me troublesome, just abandon me and give me a new life.’

I can't understand why you keep me around when I'm such a bother.

I couldn't understand them.

If it were me, I would have disposed of anything useless and unhelpful long ago.

If it were a child, I would have passed them on to someone who could raise them, or, if I were more ruthless, I would have thrown them into an orphanage or a slum and let them survive on their own.

"Sassuisa!"

The slurred pronunciation made me frustrated.

I couldn't understand why the simple phrase "I can live" was so hard to pronounce.

The two of them remained silent for a long time after hearing my words. Finally, Sharant Clowen spoke.

"Why are you wandering outside?"

"I'm taking a walk."

"Alright, finish your walk and come back."

"Okay."

I understand, but when are you going to abandon me?

"Shelina."

"Yes?"

"Take this."

"Okay."

Desar Clowen handed me a large mana stone with both hands.

Judging by its brilliance, it was clearly an S-grade mana stone. I didn't even have to act cute, which was unusual.

Seeing the large, solid mana stone, I couldn't help but smile. I lifted my head and smiled widely at the right moment.

"Thank you."

"Shelina, your grandfather doesn't dislike you. It's just that there are circumstances beyond his control. Can you understand that?"

I stopped looking at the mana stone and slowly blinked.

What a cowardly thing to say.

To say that he likes me but has to turn his back on me due to circumstances.

This statement was in line with Melaine's actions. I thought Desar Clowen wasn't a coward, but he was still human.

I smiled widely in response.

After all, the mana stone helped me make the decision to leave.

I passed by the two of them, holding the mana stone, and went to my room instead of going for a walk. I poured all the mana stones I had collected onto the bed.

The new bed was large, and the narrow space under it was perfect for hiding things.

There were quite a few mana stones.

I stuffed S-grade and A-grade mana stones into one bag and the rest into another.

The roughly 50 mana stones would be more than enough for my needs.

'I need to look into orphanages.'

I should find one far from the capital. Ideally, one deep in the mountains or a place where news travels slowly.

Where are the books about orphanages? Maybe in the library.

I put the mana stones back under the bed, in the deepest part, and jumped off the bed.

* * *

"Everything is ready."

I wrote the last word in crayon on the sketchbook.

Each letter took up an entire page. I had to write one letter on each of several pages.

I laid them out on the floor in order.

Leave, me, alone

Is this enough?

Hmm, if I write it like this, they'll probably figure it out eventually. I can just say I ran away.

But I don't want to say goodbye to the Clowens. It's better to just say I'm leaving.

But can they even read this?

'I did use red crayon on purpose.'

My head ached from all the thinking.

'I don't know.'

I decided I should write a farewell message, so I tore out two more pages and wrote on them. I wasn't sure if they were letters, drawings, or squiggles.

Laying out the five pages, I felt more satisfied.

This is really a big favor. Sharant Clowen is smart, so he'll understand what I mean.

I've done everything I need to do. Now I just need to leave for the orphanage I looked up yesterday.

There were books about orphanages in the library. They were more like data books with detailed information about the capital, owners, and other specifics.

There were quite a few orphanages in the empire, and several in the capital itself.

After much consideration, I chose an orphanage a bit away from the capital.

I don't want to draw attention and risk being completely disposed of, so I chose a place far away.

With my current skills, I can use the mana stones to teleport five times to reach the destination.

Fortunately, I had more than enough mana stones for the teleportation.

Preparations were almost complete. The only preparation I needed was to practice creating this space to properly store the mana stones.

A pocket dimension is a power to create an invisible space where you can store various items and retrieve them when needed, making it perfect for carrying luggage.

If I could recite the spell aloud, it wouldn't be difficult to create the space even with a little less mana, but my pronunciation was terrible.

So, my only option was to enhance my imagination.

What used to be easy is now difficult.

But after a week of intense effort, I succeeded. All that was left was to leave the mansion.

After finishing the preparations, I put the mana stones into the pocket dimension.

"Miss, are you there?"

"Vera!"

"Yes, I brought today's meal."

Oh, Vera is here. She's so kind.

She was the one who took the most care of me here. I owe her a lot. It's a bit sad to part ways after only three years.

"Vera, take care."

"Yes? Of course, I'm doing well because of you, Miss. You don't need to worry."

"Okay, you take care too."

"Yes, you must take care of yourself. Eat well and grow tall to become a great magician."

I nodded repeatedly at Vera's words.

'I should give Vera a gift, even if I don't give anything else.'

Fortunately, I had prepared something for Vera.

I infused a blank mana stone with mana.

It's a simple spell that, when thrown in danger, causes a large explosion and creates a protective shield for the owner. It's so simple it can hardly be called a spell.

When the mana in the stone is depleted and more is added, it will explode upon receiving a strong impact.

The fragments of the mana stone combine with the mana to create a small protective shield, which can be directed to the owner by setting a single coordinate.

It's a super simple spell that even a baby can use.

After finishing the meal, I played with Vera for a while. She finally left after kissing my forehead when it got late.

"Vera!"

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

At my words, Vera's eyes widened.

She remained silent for a long time before nodding with a face twisted in a smile, as if she was about to cry.

"See you tomorrow."

Vera left.

I sat in the silent room and bowed my head.

Since they told me to leave, I have to go. I can't be trapped in the academy for years.

I knew that the Clowen family disliked those who were not direct descendants or pure-blooded.

I never intended to be part of this family. Our meeting was flawed from the start.

So, it's right for me to leave.

I felt a mix of relief and sadness at the thought of finally being free. They did stand up for me sometimes.

Whether it was Sharant Clowen or Desar Clowen, they weren't as bad as I thought.

The one I'll miss the most is Vera.

Even Kai Shan, who used to follow me around, will be hard to part with.

I slowly closed my eyes.

Since I can't recite the spell aloud, I had to strongly visualize it in my mind.

This is usually the case for spells that don't use the power of words. They are generally much weaker than the original spells.

'Open the hidden path beneath the inviolable space of the earth, bound by a vow that transcends time.'

I recited the spell in my mind with my eyes closed.

As I finished reciting the spell in my mind, I felt my body float up.

When I opened my eyes, I was standing in an unfamiliar city.

I rested for three hours, used the spell once, rested again for three hours, and repeated this process five times.

Finally, I arrived at the orphanage I had chosen as my destination.